RULES

1. Aim and spirit
Kuusamo Open is a competition held in a friendly and gentlemanly fashion, in which the aim is to see as many bird species as possible, while still avoiding disturbing both birds and nature. At the same time, we will get a good record of the Kuusamo bird summer of 2008.

2. Competition period
There are two competitions, an 18-hour and a 24-hour race. The teams have to report which one they are participating in by the start at the latest.

The 24 hour race starts on Friday 6th June 2008 at 00.00. It ends on Saturday 7 June by 00.00

The 18 hour race starts on Friday 6th June 2008 at 00.00. It ends on Friday 6 June by 18.00

3. Participants
The team consists of 2-5 members. There is no age limit. The competition fee is 15 euros / participant or a sponsorship of 1 euro/species. The team and participant names are noted at the Ruka Congress Centre on Wednesday 4th June 18.00, where at least one member of each team must be present. The participation fee must be paid before this meeting; it is not possible to participate without having paid in advance.

4. The race area and transport
The race area is the whole county of Kuusamo with the exception of the border zone. The observer must be in this area when seeing the counted species. Property rights and traffic rules must be obeyed. You participate at your own risk. Each group chooses their own means of transport, which can be changed. The team can be divided, but must not use two or more means of transport at the same time.

5. Identification
At least 2/3 of the team must identify the species. Apart from species, birds identified as one of two species or to a specific group are acceptable if species included in the group are not already counted. The identification must be final when handing over the species list on Saturday evening. Captured, tame r escaped birds are not accepted. Identifications based on eggs or nest alone are not acceptable. But nestlings and voice are accepted if they can be identified.

6. Gear and special restrictions
Binoculars and telescopes are accepted. Whistles, tape-recorders and other gear used to lure birds are not. Nor are mist nets or other trapping equipment. Listening devices are only accepted with a doctor's certificate. It is acceptable to use a phone to relay information inside the team, but the use of helpers and phoning outsiders for information is prohibited. Buying, selling, exchanging or stealing observations from the other teams is prohibited. The race committee can restrict movement in a certain area. It is forbidden to visit known Golden and White-tailed Eagle, as well as Eagle Owl, nests both before and during the race. The committee may announce other restrictions during the preparation week.

7. Notes and reporting observations
The result is reported on forms provided by the committee. The species list must be submitted directly after the race ends on Saturday by 9.00 to the committee office. A full form and race file is submitted to the secretary at the final meeting. Forms for RC and LRC species have to be written and submitted to the committee before the final meeting. Species only seen by one team must also be similarly reported if the committee so requires.

8. Closing ceremony
This takes place at the Congress Centre on Saturday 7th June starting at 16.00. Every team must be represented. If the result is even, the time spent, the number of species seen by just one team and, lastly, a throw of the dice decide the winner.

9. The judges
Any differences of opinion concerning identifications and protests are resolved by a three-member jury selected at the meeting before the start.

10. The race committee and changing rules
The committee for next year is chosen at the closing ceremony. The committee makes the rules for the next race. These are mailed to all participants together with the rest of the race material.